


All Good Things

by Bonniehae



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, but like just briefly, it's 2020 and I have no regrets, ok it's elleo fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24471463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonniehae/pseuds/Bonniehae
Summary: It's a beautiful spring day, and Elliot hasn't slept in a week.
Relationships: Leo Baskerville/Elliot Nightray
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	All Good Things

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'll be quick, you get what's on the tin. It's some Elleo fluff with books and flowers because that's What They Do (I hope they're not OOC, I might be a bit rusty, I'm sorry if they are). I tried to keep it sweet and not dwell on that canon stuff, hope you don't mind.  
> Enjoy!

A gust of wind tousles his hair, and the leaves above them rattle against one another, in a sound that’s almost like a whisper, a white noise to relax him even more. He stops reading for a moment, looking up to the branches of tree, most buds already bloomed, but some still shy, barely showing some white petals. He lets out a quiet sigh, and he hears a vague rattling on his side, a human one.  
  
-Are you cold? – Elliot asks, moving away the sword that's crossing him in his movements.  
  
-How could I be cold, it’s may, and I’m wearing my uniform.  
  
-You’ll get sick.  
  
-And I’ll still do better than you in English.  
  
Elliot scoffs, leaning back against the trunk and stretching his legs in front of him. Leo doesn’t even want to imagine the grass stains on the white trousers.  
-You’re being arrogant, you haven’t opened a single book yet.  
  
Well, actually.  
  
-You know I have to wash those – Leo says, sharp, eyeing the trousers. Elliot rolls his eyes – I could rip them, and then you’ll have to ask your father to buy you a new uniform.  
  
-Just leave them to the maids…  
  
-I have to warrant my presence here somehow, and the academic brilliance I bring to this school is not enough, unfortunately.  
  
-Why do I talk with you? – Elliot complains, shifting in place to put his whole back against the wood of the tree.  
  
-Yeah, why do you? – he sighs, looking back down on his book – I’m reading.  
  
-You weren’t reading when I talked.  
  
-I am now, so shut it.  
  
Elliot seems to want to talk again, but Leo precedes him and shushes him once more. He hears a frustrated groan, but Elliot doesn’t seem all too keen on discussing. Of course he doesn’t, why ruin such a perfect spring afternoon? There’s a soft smell of roses in the air, but they’re too far away from the garden for them to be the entrance roses, it must be some wildflower. He can’t concentrate on the book, to be fair, so instead he relishes in the crisp, brisk air. It’s a couple of weeks until finals, but it would be crazy to study with such a weather outside, especially when their favourite hawthorn tree is mostly bloomed. How many hours have they spent under there, protected by the long, heavy branches full of leaves and flowers, sheltering them from the world, just the way he likes. He hears a sound to his left and he turns around, hiding his face in the pages so that Elliot doesn’t see he’s looking at him. He’s yawning, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. When he opens his eyes back they’re somehow glassy, and he stretches again. Poor thing, he hasn’t slept for real in days. He would like to ask him if he wants to go back in their room, but first of all he knows Elliot is going to refuse, and also he doesn’t want to go.  
  
Elliot shakes his head as if to wake up, and Leo goes back to his book. But seconds later he feels a weight on his shoulder, a warm weight, one that tickles his neck with dry hair. He looks to his left and sees Elliot’s head on his thin shoulder, his neck and back bent way too much for him to be comfortable.  
-Are you falling asleep on me? – he asks, trying to sound offended but failing.  
  
-Would it be bad? – Elliot mumbles under his breath. Leo feels a sort of uncomfortable tightening in his chest, something that makes him feel odd, and at the same time something that makes his head spin.  
  
-I suppose that falling asleep on your servant could be frowned upon.  
  
-Shut it Leo – Elliot sighs, resting himself better on Leo’s shoulder. Leo for a moment doesn’t complain, and he picks up reading where he left off, trying to finally finish that damn chapter, but then Elliot shuffles again.  
  
-You’re distracting.  
  
-You’re short.  
  
Leo shifts away from Elliot and lets him topple over, grabbing the tree to hold himself up without falling over Leo and the grass. There’s another gust of wind and Leo’s hair gets ruffled by the breeze, and he has to move a strand from his eyes, crossing his vision. It’s bothersome, having hair so long when it’s windy, but it’s not like he’s gonna take any action on that anytime soon. The gust of wind becomes a bit chillier, and he finds himself shivering lightly under his jacket. It's frustrating to admit, but Elliot’s warmth on his shoulder wasn’t so bad after all. Elliot looks upset, and he has shifted over to where he was before, trying to find a comfortable position to fall asleep. He must be so tired, with all the studying and… the rest. He doesn’t want to think about that, but Elliot looks so restless, fidgeting and shuffling and scratching against the trunk. He has to roll his eyes.  
  
-How can someone focus around you?  
  
-I didn’t say anything! – Elliot retorts, opening his jacket to have more space to move his arms.  
  
-And you still manage to be loud.  
  
-I’m going back to our room – Elliot finally scoffs, but before he can get up Leo stops him.  
  
-Don’t – he says, soft, and Elliot’s eyes fall on him. They pierce him deep, blue as he knows the sky must be, but it’s covered by all those leaves. Not that he needs the sky when he has those eyes in front of him, staring in his own, distracted – You know it’s rude to leave your servant all alone like this.  
  
Elliot rolls his eyes and falls back on the tree.  
  
-I’m bored though.  
  
-Then sleep – Leo offers, the book long forgotten by now. Elliot scrunches his nose, and for a moment there’s heat spreading in Leo’s chest, and a small laugh that strives to make his way up to his lips.  
  
-I can’t. It’s chilly, I have nowhere to rest my head, and everything itches. And I’ll have pain everywhere when I wake up.  
  
-Explain to me – Leo begins, closing the book and placing it on his thighs – How sleeping against a tree like everybody does could take a toll on your prissy noble arse.  
  
Elliot stammers through his words, but in the end he chooses to scoff and shake his head, resting against the wood. He still doesn’t look comfortable though. There isn’t much to do, he doesn’t want to go back inside but he can’t force Elliot to stay awake. Leo sighs and crawls in front of him.  
  
-Come on – he urges him, nudging at his bent knees. Elliot furrows his brows, confused, and Leo pretends to be upset – Make space.  
  
Elliot obeys, opening his legs. Leo hums in satisfaction and nuzzles himself between his master’s open legs, almost working as armrests on his sides. He presses his back to Elliot’s chest, basking in the warmth, the surreal warmth he always radiates. He’s like a fireplace, a walking, spoiled fireplace. He opens his book back, resting comfortably on Elliot’s chest, feeling his heartbeat much louder than it should be.  
  
-Uhm… - Elliot begins, confused – What exactly…?  
  
-You have somewhere to rest your head now – he casually explains – You must be less chilly, and at least my uniform doesn’t itch. And you said you didn’t care about falling asleep on me.  
  
No other reason, of course. Not that there could be, so even saying it would make next to no sense.  
  
-If they see us like this… - Elliot objects, sounding a bit nervous. Leo raises his eyebrows.  
  
-You leaned on me first – he observes, and Elliot shifts behind him, acknowledging the truth of what he was saying – Besides, this branches are heavier than theatre curtains.  
  
And even if they see them, what are they going to do? Gossip about Elliot’s much too affectionate and inappropriate behaviour towards Leo? As if it’s news. And they have no proof to take their claim any further, he knows it very well. No matter how far they dig, they can’t find any base for any accusation that Elliot wouldn’t scoff and shout his way out of. It’s comforting, in some sort of twisted way. In the end Elliot must agree with him, because he decides to play along with Leo’s idea. He wraps his hands around Leo, placing his head in the crook between his neck and shoulder.  
  
-What are you reading? – he whispers, voice hoarse and low, and Leo shivers at the feeling of Elliot’s warm breath against his neck, his words so light but so close to his ear he still hears them.  
  
-It’s an encyclopaedia of trees – he explains, caressing one of the illustrations on the page. Elliot takes a deep breath, but doesn’t move.  
  
-Sounds tedious.  
  
-It’s not – he answers under his breath, abstaining himself from throwing useless insults in the air. He doesn’t move and remains quiet, losing himself once more in the words he’s reading. It’s easier now, he’s warm, and relaxed, and sheltered from everything. It’s a few pages later that Elliot’s breath becomes regular and soft, ghosting on the skin of his neck and gently moving some stray locks from his shoulder. A wave of something crashes through his body, and again he finds himself twitching at his stomach. It’s affection, the purest affection for the boy draped over him, sleeping the first peaceful sleep of his week. He must have been so tired, falling asleep so readily as soon as he was in a more comfortable position. His arms are still wrapped around him but they’re limp now, hands dangling on his thighs, loosely connected to each other by sheer gravity instead of will.  
  
If he could choose a single moment to live forever, this would be it.  
  
And what more could he want? This is so much more than he could have asked for, so much more than he always thought he deserved. Someone that feels that way towards him, that trusts him enough to fall asleep on his shoulder without a second thought, and someone whom he trusts enough to let himself be embraced like that. He closes his eyes, breathing in Elliot’s scent, something like clean clothes and a vague smell of steel, probably from the sparring a few hours before. It’s the quintessential smell of a boy his age, and that’s what Elliot could be, should be, but there’s something, a strand of something different, something that’s uniquely him, uniquely them, like the scent of the cyclamens in their room, or the piano grease, he’s not sure.  
  
It’s not normal to be doing this. And it doesn't matter how much Elliot shrugs, they both know what they're doing, dancing around each other like that. Always on the edge of the deep end, always one brush away from sinking. He moves his head on the side, brushing against Elliot’s cheek, grazing his nose on his skin. Elliot takes a breath deeper than the others, Leo’s not sure if he’s up or not, but he nuzzles his nose against his neck, and he’s not gonna complain. If somebody told him three years ago he was gonna be sitting in the park of an elegant academy, finding warmth and comfort in the arms of the most spoiled and arrogant person he ever met, he would have laughed out loud in their face. But now… he opens the book back, resuming his reading.  
  
He doesn’t even care when a girl takes a second glance back at them, probably because she spotted too many legs under the leaves. She can watch them, what’s she gonna do? He sees her walk away, confused for a moment. It’s their limbo, so close but not there yet, touches and soft smiles but nothing more. Someday they’ll talk about it. Not now, though, some other day. He leans back, surrounded by the scent of spring, lulled by Elliot’s soft, warm breath. Maybe not all good things need to have an end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please if you have anything to say leave a comment, I'd love to know what you think!


End file.
